Trump says Venezuela is not ready for elections

US President Donald Trump said Venezuela is not ready to hold elections, more than seven months after a US military operation removed Nicolas Maduro from power.

Asked about Venezuela in the Oval Office, Trump said the country was “not really ready” for elections yet, while saying that progress had been made. He said acting president Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former deputy, was doing “a fantastic job.”

Trump said elections would need to be handled properly, then turned to Venezuela’s oil industry. He praised what he described as large oil exports and said the United States was also taking oil for its efforts. He said he was popular in Venezuela because, in his words, the United States was bringing economic activity back to the country.

The report said Trump has often expressed enthusiasm about Venezuela since the deadly US military operation on January 3 that removed Maduro and his wife from the country. Maduro is due to go on trial in the United States next year.

Trump and his administration have been less clear on when Venezuelan elections may be held. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in June that Venezuela first needs a free press and a new electoral commission.

Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election returned Maduro to power, but the result was not recognized by the United States, the European Union and Latin American countries.